Pressure Cooker Carrots

Pressure cooker carrots can be made savory or sweet! They come out perfectly tender every single time in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi. Make them plain or as Instant Pot carrots and potatoes together.

If you're looking for a vegetable side dish, steamed vegetables are so healthy and yummy! Made sweet or savory they come out tender and good every time. It's one of our favorite Instant Pot recipes We make a lot.

With a little liquid in the bottom and a vegetable basket you can make these perfectly cooked Instant Pot steamed vegetables way faster than making them on the stovetop and healthier than boiling them too.

Ninja Foodi Carrots

It doesn't matter what brand you have. We've made them in our Ninja Foodi too! With this brand you use the lid that is not attached with the pressure cook button to make tender. And we have made air fryer carrots with the lid that is attached, all in the same pot!

Ingredient notes

Carrots can be fresh, peeled and sliced into sticks or wide dials for the cook time listed below. You could use orange or the multi colored variety.

Water is needed in the bottom to steam but any liquid would work. If you wanted to add a little bit more flavor you could use broth instead.

And then season as you wish. What we usually top these with butter, parsley and some like a squeeze of lime. Salt and pepper are a given but garlic powder would be optional. Mess around with seasonings. We have even used everything seasoning for a bolder pop of flavor.

Swaps

Some like a sweeter touch with a light drizzle of honey or even real maple syrup with some butter. That way you get the savory element all at the same time with a sprinkle of salt. If you want to add sweetness sprinkle brown sugar on top when they are done. OH MY either way thes eare fantastic.

How Long to Cook Carrots in Instant Pot

Depending on how thick your pieces are, 3 minutes is usually solid. Same goes for Ninja Foodi carrots (with the lid that is attached and pressure cook button). Much faster than if you made Crockpot carrots but as tender.

How to Cook Baby Carrots in Instant Pot

You would use the same timing for a bag of baby carrots in the basket or if you made carrot sticks after peeling the outside. These are our favorite sizes because they are easier to eat (especially with kids) when served so no cutting is necessary.

Can you cook whole carrots in Instant Pot?

We mean yes technically you could do that, we might add 1 additional minute. The issue with this is that unless they are rather small they will likely be too long to comfortably fit inside the steamer basket.

Tips

Similar to how we cook carrots in microwaveyou would want to dice for soft or slice so they stay in tact

You begin by removing the outsides of your veggies with a peeler. This is kind of a given but let's go step by step so nothing is forgotten. Slice in half so you have shorter pieces, or all equal pieces at least. Alternatively, a bag of baby carrots can be used. When done you can add your butter and parsley, to the top so the heat will then allow it to melt.

Instant Pot Carrots Recipe

By Pressure cooker carrots can be made savory or sweet and come out perfectly tender every single time in your Instant Pot, Crock Pot Express or Ninja Foodi. Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 3 minutes minsServings: 6 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

• 1 lb carrots, peeled, cut into sticks
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch garlic powder

Instructions

• Pour water into pot and lower down steamer basket. Put prepared carrot sticks inside trying to overlap the least amount possible.
• Close lid and steam valve. Set to pressure, high, for 3 minutes.
• Quick release steam. Lift lid and turn pot off.
• Lift carrots out, drain water in pot and put carrots into pot without basket.
• Put butter and parsley on top of carrots and put lid back on to contain the heat and allow the butter to melt around the carrots for a min. or so.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, Side DishCuisine: American Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

Kitchen questions

Do you have to use a steamer basket to cook carrots in a pressure cooker?

That is the best option, yes. If you do not have one of these you need a way to keep your vegetables out of the water below or they will become mushy. You could use a trivet, positioned so that they won't fall in between the slats.

Should you season carrots before or after pressure cooking?

We typically will add a pinch of salt and pepper at the beginning but the majority should be added after cooking. You will get the most flavor if you melt a pat of butter on top with a sprinkle of seasonings after removing them.

Could you cook carrots with potatoes in Instant Pot?

You could but you would need them to be diced into small bite size pieces in order for them to become tender with the same cook time. We have done this several times and it is a nice, healthy and quick side dish.

More carrot recipes you'll love

You can add them into our easy Instant Pot minestrone soupit can be packed full of sliced carrots. Here's how to make honey roasted carrots in the oven as a side dish.

Or add a bunch into our Instant Pot chicken noodle soup for a quick meal. Instant Pot cauliflower and Instant Pot corn are great too when we are all about Instant Pot fish for dinner. Instant Pot spaghetti squash is a great vegetarian choice to add to your meals also this week!